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• Feature Article:
Find Your Inner Professor
The response to my article
on Mind
Mapping last week was huge. Lots
of people have told me that they used that strategy and that it was helpful
to them. I'm starting to get addicted to it – that's
how I wrote today's article. If you missed my Mind
Mapping article,
you can find it on my site. I LOVE hearing from you so please keep
the feedback coming. Find Your Inner Professor
One of the most difficult parts of writing the dissertation is speaking
in your own voice.
By this, I mean clearly stating your point of view and being comfortable
with it. (I am not addressing your style of writing.) I like to think
of it as "finding your inner professor."
You know the kind of professor I mean. When they talk about their ideas,
their eyes light up, they get all excited, and they sound very sure of
themselves. If their theories are questioned, they seem to welcome the
dialogue that will take place. They may even freely admit that there
are holes in their argument, which they are still exploring.
There are even graduate students who are like this. You've seen
them. You may even hate them. Actually, we are often drawn to people
who are confident and able to articulate their theories.
Being ABD Without an "Inner Professor"
The majority of graduate students find it difficult to achieve such
a level of self- confidence. You may have first noticed a lack of "inner
professor" when you tried to think up ideas for your thesis topic.
Everything you think of seems banal or trivial. When you think of a bigger
idea, you negate it by assuming it's already been done, is about
to be published, or that it must be a stupid idea, or someone else would
have already thought of it.
Later, lack of an "inner professor" shows up as procrastination
in coding your data, hesitancy to talk about your ideas with peers or
professors, breaking out in a cold sweat when some kindly but evil person
asks the dreaded question, "So, how's the dissertation going?" It
also shows up when you get part way through your literature review and
you realize that you have to choose which sources to quote and spotlight,
and which to (gasp) leave out. These decisions are all part of finding
your own voice.
Reasons for the Problem: From Regurgitation to Creation
A dissertation is, as you are well aware, an original and substantial
contribution to the field. This very awareness is part of the problem.
Most people have little idea of how original or how substantial the contribution
needs to be.
As an undergraduate, you are taught how to read with a critical eye,
to compare and contrast, to answer specific questions, to understand
how an author came to a particular hypothesis. Your thinking skills were
further honed during your graduate school classes.
What is often missing from this training, though, is the encouragement
to have an original thought. As a matter of fact, it is sometimes discouraged.
It comes as a shock to the nervous system to be faced with this "original
and substantial" contribution that you are supposed to be making.
Added to this is the fact that the process is like playing "hot
and cold." As you try out different ideas, your advisor says, "you're
getting warmer. . . warmer. . . now colder." You feel like
you're out on a limb, guessing what is wanted from you. And some
advisors won't even play. They just tell you to come back with
your nicely finished chapter so that they can inform you that it wasn't
what they wanted from you at all.
Yesterday I received a response to a question I pose on one of my assessments: ".
. . [what
is one area] that you would most welcome some advice, information or
help on?" The response was, " I would like to have more of
an idea of what is expected of me." I think this person was speaking
for many.
Myths You Must Combat
There seems to be some underlying mythology to the dissertation process
that has been passed on through Mendelian genetics to create a vast Jungian
collective unconscious. (Wow, did I really write that? And does it make
any sense?) Anyway, this collective unconscious has produced some myths
that I will now dispute.
-
The Dissertation As Magnum Opus. Nope – your dissertation
does not have to be all that. It should be good enough to let you
get your degree. (Ironically, by letting go of the Magnum Opus myth,
you
will probably write a better dissertation.)
-
It's all been said
before. No, it hasn't. And probably
not in the way you plan to present it.
-
You need to make sure that your
literature review covers every last secondary source. No: part of your
contribution is to make the selection of what
stays and what goes.
-
Only very special people can go from ABD to Ph.D. No, No, NO! If
you've
made it this far, you've got what it takes. You just need to
keep going.
The Goal: Become One with Your Inner Professor
Before I give you some tips to help you with your reticence to express
your own your ideas, let me clearly state the goal. Your goal is to actually
ENJOY thinking about your topic, to openly discuss it with all who will
listen, to be eager to hear criticism so that you can refine your thinking,
and just generally not hide out. This is "engaging in the scholarly
dialogue," and is the main set of tools that you will need to be
a confident, happy and productive professor (or professional.)
The Cure: Fake It ‘Till You Make It
If you wait until you feel sure of yourself, you'll wait forever.
The only "cure" is action. As you perceive your own success,
you will develop your "inner professor." If you have been
hiding out, this won't be easy. But it WILL work. Here are some
steps:
-
Read completed dissertations, particularly those written by
former students of your advisor. This will give you some idea of what
is expected of you.
-
If you are at the pre-proposal stage, take
brainstorming very seriously. This means writing down ALL the ideas
that you can think of. Carry around
a notebook and jot down thoughts when you are not working. When you
are reading, write down any idea, however absurd. Purposely write down
the
ideas that are really bad or even silly. This is a proven technique
that will shake your brain up. Do not self-censor at this stage.
-
TALK TO OTHERS. This is the most important action you can take.
The whole point of your career will be to communicate your ideas
to others,
so
now is the time to start. Of course your first ideas will not be
as good as your later ones. But that is how growth happens. If you've
been really holding back, start by talking about your ideas with
one trusted
peer. You will find that these interactions refine and crystallize
your thinking.
-
A corollary to the latter point is to set up regular meetings with
your advisor. Let him or her know what you have been thinking. Get
used to
having your ideas shot down. What doesn't kill you will make you
stronger. Of course, you don't feel like doing this. Do it
anyway.
-
A second corollary is to realize that you are not the best judge
of whether your ideas are good or not. You need feedback from more
objective people
to find out what is sense or nonsense.
-
In preparation for more interaction
with others, write a little summary, for your eyes only, of your ideas
or work so far. Practice saying it,
so that you are prepared to put your thoughts into words.
-
Prepare an answer to those people who ask how the dissertation
is going. Here is what I suggest, "It's going great!
How are you?"
-
Join a dissertation group. See suggestions regarding this in the
FAQ
section on my web site.
-
Sign up to give papers and talks within
your department and at conferences. (Notice a theme?)
-
Observe the people who seem to be in touch with their "inner professor." It
really isn't that their ideas are better. It's that they
are more excited, more confident, and more open. Notice how people
react to their confidence by giving their theories more credence?
-
Mind Map! OK, I'm a little obsessed, but I really thing Mind
Mapping spurs creativity.
I hope these hints will help you find ways to let your "inner
professor" run free. It will be difficult at first, and will cause
anxiety. That's OK, because eventually it will get easier and you
will actually start to enjoy it. And writing your dissertation will be
a much better process for it.
"Many a man is praised for his reserve and so-called
shyness when he is simply too proud to risk making a fool of himself."
-- J. B. Priestley, All About Ourselves and Other Essays
 Book of the week:
 Feel
the Fear and Do it Anyway, By Susan Jeffers
This is a book about becoming powerful despite your
fears. I believe that the only way to conquer the fears that threaten
to paralyze you
is to find action techniques and apply them. If you are too afraid
to take the actions I suggest in my article, read this book.
Read
other reviews... RESOURCES, REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS
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climb to tenure? Check
out the assessments on the website.
What is Dissertation Coaching?
Find
out here
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